Board adopts $10.7 million budget, up from $10.3 million, still relying on reserves

What happened

On April 28, 2026 the board adopted a $10,704,883 operating budget for 2026-27, about $400,000 more than the current year's $10,300,895 budget. The superintendent's report says the increase does not close a structural deficit: the district is drawing $500,000-$800,000 from its fund balance as a short-term bridge, has already cut staffing by about 35% over the past two years, and asked the Borough for the maximum allowed local contribution increase (+$300,000). A further $300,000 cut of two teaching and one administrative position was identified as a future option but was not part of this budget.

Why it matters to families

A rising budget number is masking an underlying gap that reserves, not new ongoing revenue, are covering; the superintendent's own report frames this as unsustainable beyond the short term, which puts future staffing and programs at risk if the gap isn't otherwise closed.

The evidence

The March 24, 2026 board packet's superintendent report lays out the deficit, the staffing-cut option, and the fund-balance and local-contribution plans. The April 28, 2026 minutes and revenue projection, both in the April 28, 2026 packet, record the second-reading adoption vote and the $10,704,883 final total against the $10,300,895 2025-26 approved total.

The source